Are You Giving Every Department Equal Access to Technology?

Uneven access to data, tech investment, and automation tools can have a corrosive effect on morale and business performance. But companies can begin to address these technological disparities by prioritizing growth areas that require a rapid return — for instance, R&D in Life Sciences or CRM in Consumer Goods — and then span out. One initial step is to look at the depth and breadth of the current data systems inside the organization. Companies must also work to ensure that their systems map to business capabilities and that investments bring together stakeholders from across the organization. Beyond these formal organizational changes, firms can create cross-functional teams of engineers and business experts, adopting agile development practices to prevent IT professionals from being isolated from critical business activities, and vice versa. The sooner organizations address these internal disparities, the faster they will overcome external disparities with competitors.